In wide area wireless communication networks, relatively high power base stations are provided in cellular network to serve wireless client devices or user devices. Each base station serves wireless user devices in a cell that is primarily determined by the power of the signal it can transmit. Wireless service to user devices located within large buildings can become degraded when the user device has difficulty receiving a signal from the base station, even if the building is well within the coverage area of the base station.
To augment the coverage of the wireless network, wireless transceiver devices with relatively small coverage areas (and serving capacities) can be deployed. Depending on their coverage area and serving capacities, these wireless transceiver devices are referred to as femtocells, microcells, or picocells, or more generally, “small cell” access point devices. Generally, a small cell access point includes a wireless transceiver device that is configured to serve wireless user devices over relatively small coverage areas and with generally less capacity as compared to a macro base station that is configured to serve a relatively large coverage area (“macro cell”) and consequently many more client devices. These small cell access points may be deployed inside or near buildings to serve client devices where signals from a macro base station are too weak.